Have you seen this dog?

Wednesday

Mar 27, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2013 at 12:14 AM

Bill Armstrong, founder of Armstrong Ambulance and Arlington native, spent many happy hours at Robbins Farm when it was a working farm, and among his fondest memories is sitting on a huge dog statute that overlooked a view of Boston.

Eileen Kennedy/ekennedy@wickedlocal.com

Bill Armstrong, founder of Armstrong Ambulance and Arlington native, spent many happy hours at Robbins Farm when it was a working farm, and among his fondest memories is sitting on a huge dog statute that overlooked a view of Boston.

Nathan Robbins, who owned and ran the farm for many years, welcomed kids, including Armstrong, to play on his property, and to hang around and watch while he took care of the animals. Eventually, the property came under town ownership in the early 1940s.

It’s now known as Robbins Farm Park, and the Friends of Robbins Farm Park would like to find the dog statute, which could easily fit four young children on its broad back..

“At first we thought that maybe Cyrus Dallin, the sculptor, made the dog, but our research has shown that probably isn’t the case,” said Roly Chaput, a member of the Friends. Dallin, who made a number of well-known statues, lived in Arlington for many years.

Further research found that it could be a copy of a popular dog statute called “The Sentinel,” which memorialized a dog that saved a family from a fire by waking them up. It was made by Thomas Frederick Hoppin, was cast in 1851 and was one of the very first large-scale bronze castings in the country. Chaput said “The Sentinel” can be seen in the Roger Williams Park in Rhode Island.

When the Robbins mansion was pulled down around 1950, the dog apparently went missing. Chaput said it’s possible that a member of that work crew took the dog for their own, or sold it to be melted down, as it was probably cast iron or bronze.

In any case, the Friends would like to find it and put it back overlooking the view of Boston, where it was last seen.

“I grew up on Highland Ave. and Eastern Ave., and as a kid I spent a lot of time going up the farm to watch Nathan Robbins milk cows, take care of the horses and the chickens, I followed him everywhere,” said Armstrong. “A lot of kids would sit on the dog, and have their pictures taken on it. It was very well built and encased in cement.”

Chaput is hoping that if someone has it, they’ll let the Friends know, and arrangements can be made to get the dog back. Armstrong is willing to make some financial assistance necessary to get it back, he said.

If the dog does not resurface, then the Friends may pursue have a new cast from a mold at a Texas foundry, which created replicas of The Sentinel. If that mold is used it could cost between $9,500 and $12,000, which does not cover the costs of the foundation and installation.

The Friends’ board of directors voted on March 6, to unanimously to continue exploring the idea of finding the dog or having a new statue recast.

Anyone with information about the location of the original statue or what might have happened to it are asked to call the Friends at 781-646-7786.

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